Two Humanities Students Receive Fulbright Awards for 2018-2019

Three University of Utah students have been selected as finalists for the prestigious
Fulbright scholarship. Zoe Diener, Kevin Priest and Daniel Ybarra have received a
highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant from the U.S. Department of
State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for the 2018-19 academic
year.

Diener (M.S., public health) will conduct research in public health in Namibia; Priest
(M.A., British and American literature) will be an English teaching assistant in Greece;
and Ybarra (B.A., communication studies and Middle East studies) will be an English
teaching assistant in Uzbekistan.

“Twenty-six students applied this year, which is a record for the U and a seven of
them were chosen as semi-finalists, which is the most we’ve ever had,” said Howard
Lehman, director the U’s Fulbright program. “The application process is lengthy involving
short, but challenging essays. Successful applicants need a combination of academic
achievements, language background and relevant international experiences.”

Diener, Priest and Ybarra are three of 1,900 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct
research and provide expertise abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Recipients are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well
as record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.

The U.S. Fulbright program is the flagship international educational exchange program
sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build relations between people
in the U.S. and the people of other countries that are needed to solve global challenges.
The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriate made by the U.S. Congress
to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions,
corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support
to the program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Fulbright recipients address critical global challenges in all areas, while building
relationships, knowledge and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the
United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including
54 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 92 who have received the Pulitzer Prize
and 33 who have served as a head of state or government.